Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Tamuning

For one person, living is cheaper in Tamuning: $1,269 a month against $2,852 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
Learn more

Melbourne Living Index
142

Cost of Living Index in Tamuning
Learn more

Tamuning Living Index

Jump to prices

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Tamuning

🇬🇺 Guam

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Melbourne and in Tamuning

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Melbourne and in Tamuning actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,852 in Melbourne versus $1,269 in Tamuning.

Melbourne $2,852
Tamuning $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,297 in Melbourne versus $1,824 in Tamuning.

Melbourne $4,297
Tamuning $1,824

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Melbourne versus $2,379 in Tamuning.

Melbourne $5,742
Tamuning $2,379

Living in Melbourne is roughly 125% more expensive than in Tamuning, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melbourne is 113% above, Tamuning is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.75 A$25.49

$14.98 $14.98

18.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$122

$54.9 $54.9

54.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.46

$14.94 $14.94

-18.61%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.64

$5.43 $5.43

-27.62%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 A$4.51

$2.92 $2.92

7.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$1.23 $1.23

97.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.90 A$14.22

$6.69 $6.69

47.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 A$11.91

$15.21 $15.21

-45.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.22

$3.42 $3.42

-54.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 A$4.32

$6.93 $6.93

-56.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.14

$2.40 $2.40

20.00%

Eggs

$5.44 A$7.82

$7.04 $7.04

-22.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 A$15.22

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 A$13.81

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.99 A$21.54

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 A$5.96

$8.13 $8.13

-48.95%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.38

$3.12 $3.12

-2.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.74

$4.86 $4.86

-32.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.83

$7.57 $7.57

-37.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.36

$4.08 $4.08

-25.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.66

$2.83 $2.83

-9.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.56

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.07 A$63.3

$9.29 $9.29

374.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 A$17.85

$12.23 $12.23

1.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.33 A$7.65

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 A$7.41

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 A$5.52

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 A$6.32

$20.20 $20.20

-78.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$2.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.83 A$42.84

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.37 $1.37

6.57%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.1K A$40.4K

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.9K A$37.3K

$26.6K $26.6K

-2.41%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$233 A$334

$441 $441

-47.27%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$27.28 A$39.19

$76.4 $76.4

-64.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.9

$94.1 $94.1

-39.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 A$75.7

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.62 A$32.49

Cinema Ticket

$17.10 A$24.57

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,373 A$3,409

$405 $405

485.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K A$43.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.2 A$112

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 A$72.5

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$191

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,460

$1,281 $1,281

33.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,014

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,339 A$4,796

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 A$3,632

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 A$10.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,767 A$9,721

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,228 A$6,074

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Last update for Tamuning: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3%

Tamuning

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$385 13.5%

Tamuning

$300 * 24.2% 22.1% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$317 11.1%

Tamuning

$612 49.2% 93% $295

Eating Out

Melbourne

$314 11%

Tamuning

$310 25% 1.1% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$172 6.1%

Tamuning

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Melbourne

$168 5.9%

Tamuning

$20 * 1.6% 88% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$87 3.1%

Tamuning

- * 0% 100%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Melbourne and $1,281 in Tamuning. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Melbourne vs $55.0 in Tamuning for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $300 per month, with Tamuning cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇬🇺 Tamuning

🕒 Local time

15:50 3:50 PM

14:50 2:50 PM

1 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

19,685

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melbourne Tamuning 5,710 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
Tamuning

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Melbourne vs Tamuning: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Tamuning differ by about 125% in total monthly costs ($2,852 vs $1,269 including rent). Tamuning is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,277 in Melbourne and $1,903 in Tamuning to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,713 in Melbourne versus $1,281 in Tamuning. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,852 per month in Melbourne versus $1,269 in Tamuning – a 125% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,269 in Tamuning versus $2,852 in Melbourne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tamuning but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Tamuning the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Melbourne and Tamuning are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tamuning gentler on the wallet – expenses run 125% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.